Comeback win at Bournemouth was ‘perfect response’ – Pochettino

Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino hailed his side’s “perfect response” to their Champions League upset after they came from behind at Bournemouth to go third in the Premier League.

Spurs, who lost Harry Kane to a first-half ankle injury, recovered from their last-16 defeat by Juventus on Wednesday, to win convincingly through Son Heung-min’s double and Serge Aurier’s late far-post header.

Dele Alli had earlier levelled for the visitors after Junior Stanislas gave Bournemouth a seventh-minute lead.

“The answer today was perfect after Wednesday,” said the Spurs boss. “I am so pleased – the reaction was important for the team.

“They [Bournemouth] played at a high tempo which was difficult. We conceded an early goal but it was a massive three points for us.

“There is still a lot of work to do, still a lot of things can happen with eight games to go. Big sides are fighting with us to take a position in the top four.”

Bournemouth, who remain 12th, thought they had rescued a point via Callum Wilson’s 84th-minute strike but referee Mike Dean disallowed it for a shove on Spurs defender Davinson Sanchez, before the visitors scored their two late goals.

Alli gave Tottenham fans a scare when he was replaced late on, as did left-back Danny Rose, who was making his first top-flight appearance of the year, but both were fatigued rather than injured.

It was Pochettino’s 150th league win as a manager but a rare recent defeat for his counterpart Eddie Howe, whose side had been beaten just once in their past 10 league fixtures – only Tottenham losing fewer in that period.